


Episode Three

by DragonRose35



Series: Our Life, Our Love [3]
Category: Psych
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Angst, Case-Fic(s), Drama, Episode Compliant Case-Fic(s), Episode Related Collection, Ficlet Collection, First Person POV - Original Character, Fluff, Gen, Hurt/Comfort, Lassie Has a Dog, Original Character(s), Original Non-Human Character(s) - Freeform, Psych Collection, Semper really needs a hug, also Shawn is kind of an oblivious jerk to Semper, but completely without realizing it, so is Gus
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-08-21
Updated: 2016-08-21
Packaged: 2018-08-10 03:27:31
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,648
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7828693
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DragonRose35/pseuds/DragonRose35
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Yes! Carlton is taking me with him to go to a wedding! Only… one question. What’s a wedding?</p><p>-0-</p><p>Semper gets to work a case with Lassiter and it's with the chief's permission too! Unfortunately for him... Carlton has to keep him in his hotel room.</p><p>Things... only go down hill from there.</p><p>The only thing Semper wants is for Lassiter to keep his promise.</p><p>Is that really so hard to do?</p>
            </blockquote>





	Episode Three

**Author's Note:**

> A/N: Third in the collection- finally, right? *laughs* Hope you enjoy this... sadder than usual update!
> 
> Poor Semper~
> 
> ~ D.C.

I can’t believe it! Carlton is all dressed up and groomed and even though he looks grim, there is a sparkle to his eyes that I definitely didn’t miss. “You excited boy?” he chuckled, looking at me from where he was in the bathroom, as I sat, barely managing to keep still, on the bed. I barked at him, my tail wagging, and he rolled his eyes. “I know, I know. But don’t get your hopes up too high, Semper. This is for a case, and while I would like to keep you here, and since I can’t afford a dog sitter yet-” I growled at that, huffing and he smirked. “Relax, Semper, I’m not going to leave you with a stranger, not yet, anyway.” And then he continued where he left off before I interrupted him, “-I need to take you with me. I do have Karen’s-” the chief, he means, “permission, but I have explicit instructions to keep you in my motel room the entire time.” He turned to me then and I whined, “Am I understood?” he asked, stern and he walked over to me, arms crossed.

Reluctantly, I barked and nodded, my ears flopping a little with the motion, and he smiled gently, reaching out to pet me then.

“Good boy,” he said, before suddenly moving over to the nightstand. “I have something for you, by the way. So you don’t get taken from me while I’m working this case. And,” he reached into the nightstand and pulled something out, “I know it’s not much. But it’s enough for now, until I can afford a nice collar for you.”

I barked happily, jumping on the bed at the mention of a collar and he walked back over to me, reaching out to pull the strange ribbon around my neck, that had a makeshift tag with my name and his phone number.

“Like it?” he asked and I barked again, making a little face at him, and he laughed. “Don’t worry, I’ll buy a real one soon enough. I promise.” Barking again, I was content with that answer and then he turned away. “Come on then, we have a wedding to catch and I don’t want to be late.”

I didn’t actually know what a wedding was, but I’ve heard a few different humans talking about them, and though they sounded boring, I was excited.

So I followed without another sound, eagerly trotting after him.

-0-

I hate leashes… I  _ really _ hate them.

As soon as we arrived and Carlton got out and made his way to my side, opening the door and unbuckling my seatbelt for me, he pulled a long cord from his pocket and tied it to my makeshift collar.

I let out a distraught bark and he smiled apologetically at me, wrapping the other end of the cord around his hand a few times. “Sorry Semper, but I have to do this. Otherwise, you won’t be allowed inside.” he said and I whined, before he amended, “I’ll take it off as soon as we get to our room, promise.”

Huffing at that, I begrudgingly followed him inside.

Before we could make it to the room, Lassiter spotted a few people he needed to talk to, Juliet included, and he made his way towards them.

“Aw! I didn’t know you had a dog, Carlton!” Juliet cooed over me and the other two policemen smiled down at me too. She kneeled down and pet me on the head and I barked at her, wagging my tail.

“O’Hara, focus,” Carlton huffed and she looked up at him with a pout, before standing up, looking professional again, straightening her clothes.

“Sorry,” she said, clearing her throat and he rolled his eyes and nodded his head at her, and I watched as her eyes lit up once more and she bent down to continue petting me. “Real quick, though, what’s his name?” she asked and Carlton sighed, before nodding to the tag and she made a little ‘o’ face, reading the tag. “Semper Fidelis. Aw, that’s so cute!” she cooed once more and I barked happily, pleased that she liked my name.

Lassiter cleared his throat and she stood up sharply, looking sheepish now, before he spoke up, “Mandatory briefing, Magnolia room, 15 minutes. Excuse us, please. Attorney General Maxwell.” Carlton turns to another man then, one that I wasn’t sure I liked, since he only spared me a sneering glance, before turning his full attention to my detective.

“Detective. I trust we’re making progress.” he said, and shook hands with Lassiter. I barked at the man, not liking that he was touching Carlton, and my owner sent me a sharp look, telling me silently to keep quiet.

Reluctantly, I did so, and settled down a little, deciding to look around then, as Carlton and the man carried on their exchange. “I am right on schedule, sir. I’ve booked myself a suite to use as a command center.”

“Why?” the man asked, sounding vaguely insulted.

“I’ll stay the night if I have to, keep an eye on things…” even I heard the clear hope in his voice, saying how much he  _ wanted _ to stay the night here. Which is why he brought me along with. So he could.

“The city’s not paying for that, is it?” I growled when I heard the man’s tone of voice and only quieted when I smelled something familiar, turning my attention over towards where I saw a little peek of brown hair and I wagged my tail excitedly when I recognised both the scent and the hair.

“Uh, no?”

“That ring has been in my family for 200 years. My mother agonized over the decision to give it to my son. I’m not letting it get away now.”

“Sir, we are checking every person who came through that door. Every employee. Every guest.”

“Nobody checks out of this hotel until we’re just short of going through every piece of their luggage.” the man said and Carlton stood a little straighter at that, which I noticed and wasn’t very happy about.

“Way ahead of you, sir.” he said and the man snorted before turning and walking away.

“No, you’re not,” I heard him say and turned my attention towards him, growling again, unhappy. It was only a few seconds after that, that my attention turns back to Shawn, but before I could bark at him, Lassiter is tugging on my leash and we’re suddenly heading in a different direction than where Juliet and the others headed.

It was only a few minutes later when I realized that we were going towards his hotel room and I wagged my tail, though I was a  _ little _ disappointed, knowing I couldn’t go with him to the briefing.

When he got into the room, he unclipped the leash and let me bound into the room on my own, “Okay, Semper, be a good boy and stay put for me until I get back. I promise I won’t be long, just… have a few very important things to do.” he sighed and scrubbed a hand over his face, looking weary and tired, something I whined at.

He only smiled and reached out to pet me before turning away and finally closing the door behind him, leaving me where I sat, frowning at the door, a little dejected.

Eventually I made my way over to the bed, jumping onto it and I curled up on the pillows, resigned to waiting for my master to come back.

-0-

I was woken up when I heard a knock at the door and I perked my head up, curious and confused. Is Carlton back?

When the door opened up, I stood up, my tail wagging before I deflated, seeing that it wasn’t my owner, but instead Shawn and Gus. However, when that thought registered, I was back to wagging my tail excitedly and I barked at them both, watching as Shawn grinned and Gus’ eyes widened.

“This isn’t a suspect’s room, Shawn! This is Lassiter’s!” he hissed and I tilted my head curiously. He sounded angry, but I have no idea why.

“Fido!” Shawn grinned wider at me, walking over, after Gus shut the door behind them, and he flopped onto the bed, reaching out to pet me. “Who’s a good boy? You are!  _ You  _ are!” he laughed when I tackled him, playfully, and we spent the next minute rough-housing on the bed while Gus begrudgingly searched the room. “Hey, toss me an apple, will you Gus?” he asked, turning his attention to his best friend and suddenly there was an apple being thrown at him, narrowly missing me in return. “Ow, hey! Easy!”

Gus snorted and went back to searching through what was in the room, knowing that if he didn’t do it, Shawn would and would probably make a mess out of it all. “As much as I want to argue with you, look at what I found,” he said, tossing a folder at Shawn and Shawn laid it out, so that both he and I could look at him.

“Gus! You’re a genius! We need these witness statements! It’s not like we’re being overwhelmed with cooperation here.” he said and I barked at him, agreeing with him but he seemed to think I wanted more attention- not that I was complaining, because hey! Free pettings! “Oh Lacey. Lacey, you can sink my boat.”

Huffing in confusion, I gave the human and odd stare before watching as he suddenly tossed the file away and stretched out against the pillows, grinning when he spotted the tv.

“Hey, Gus, toss me the remote.” he said and caught said item when Gus threw it at him, distracted by other files on the counter. He turns on the tv then and I huffed again when I saw exactly what was on. If only I could use the remote myself, so I could change the channel to something  _ I _ liked. “What do you got? You got anything good?” he asked Gus, settling in and getting comfortable.

“I hate to say it, but yeah.” Gus answered, frowning. “The Attorney General has an insurance policy on the ring. He’ll collect a cool three million as long as it still belongs to him, which it does only until these two are married.”

“Well, well, well,” Shawn smirked, sharing a look with Gus.

I turn my attention to the door when I heard footsteps and barked, getting the attention of both Gus and Shawn. Suddenly they were both trying to straighten things up and they hid when the door opened and I frowned in confusion, tilting my head when I saw their reactions to the bellboy.

When he sees Shawn, he straightens up and stammers out an apology, “I-I’m supposed to knock. Forgive me, Detective.”

Shawn looks confused for a moment, “Detective?”

“Head Detective, sorry,” the bellboy corrected himself, making a little face and I barked at him, enough to get his attention. He smiled at me, before turning his attention back to Shawn, “I was told you wouldn’t be here until six tonight.” I deflated when I heard that, turning to the clock to see what time it was and I noticed I still had several hours to go before my owner would return.

So much for seeing him soon…

“That’s right.” Shawn started, smirking almost to himself. “Six tonight. Head detective. I changed my plan. Please don’t tell anyone.” he added and the bellboy nodded and bowed.

“Absolutely, sir,” he said, before miming zipping up his lips.

“Thanks. Six, huh?”

The bellboy didn’t seem to hear him, though Shawn and Gus shared another secret look, before he spoke up, “Is there anything I can do for you while I’m here?” he asked and Shawn barely kept a grin to himself.

“As a matter of fact, yes, there is. We’d like a room service menu delivered immediately.” he said and the bellboy smiles and salutes at him. “Oh! And a little doggy treat, if possible?”

When the bellboy left, Shawn and Gus stayed for a little while longer before they eventually had to leave, leaving me by myself once again, waiting for my owner to return.

And, bored, since Shawn turned the tv off, I settled down for another nap, resigned to the fact that I wasn’t going to get a treat anytime soon either.

-0-

When I wake up for the third time- the second time having to go to the bathroom and eat something- it’s to Shawn and Gus coming back into the room and I ignore them for the most part, upset that they aren’t Carlton.

Shawn sits on the bed and grabs the remote again, kicking off his shoes. He turns the tv on and Gus reluctantly puts in a tape into the tv. “Can we at least watch the tape in another room, besides Lassiter’s?” he asked, even though he knew it was moot point.

“Gus, he’s not coming back.” My heart plummeted when I heard that I barely kept in the little distraught whine that wanted to be let out.

“Are you sure about that?” Gus asked as I laid my head back on my paws, closing my eyes tightly to hide my own pain.

He  _ promised _ he would be back soon… why isn’t he back? Is Shawn right? Is he really not coming back? I really hope not… I wouldn’t be able to stand it if I was left alone again- and being with Shawn and Gus didn’t count, because eventually they would leave too. And that’s not okay.

Where is my master?

“Yes.” Shawn continued to talk, both oblivious to my thoughts, “Didn’t you check his messages?” he asked and then frowned at Gus. “Are you going to have some cookies?” he nodded to the basket of food that I hadn’t noticed he brought in with him.

Gus crossed his arms, “No.”

“You want to finish my banana?” Shawn asked, lifting up said fruit and I decided to close my eyes again, wondering if there was even any point listening to them anymore.

“I want to leave,” Gus said , just as Shawn started to play the footage from the tape and despite my depressing thoughts, I listened in anyway.

“Look at the best man. He’s smashed. And look at his hair. It’s horrible.”

“That’s it?”

Shawn hummed, “We have to watch it again.”

When there was a knock at the door, I perked my head up, only to deflate when Shawn shouted ‘It’s open!’ and it opened to reveal a man that wasn’t my owner.

Not paying attention to anything more, as Gus chided Shawn and the man said hello, I slinked off of the bed and went to my own little corner, curling up and trying my best to fall asleep again.

I miss Carlton…

-0-

It was hard to sleep.

Feet were stepping loudly everywhere. All the voices were too loud and the laughter was booming to my poor, sensitive ears. But still, I tried.

And then Gus and Shawn leave me with the idiots that have trashed the room and I can’t take it anymore.

I hide myself in the bathroom, shutting the door behind me. I jump onto the toilet and then the counter and paw at the lock until it clicks, before finally grabbing a towel and I laid it out in the bathtub, curling up on the soft fluff and blocking out the sounds coming from the room outside the door.

Finally, though barely, I manage to get back to sleep.

Still waiting.

-0-

“Semper? Semper!” Waking up sharply, I jerked my head up when I heard Carlton’s voice and leaped out of the bathtub so fast, my hind legs nearly caught on the edge. “Where are you?”

Barking, I jumped onto the toilet, then the counter, and pawed once more at the lock, successfully hearing the click before Carlton managed to jerk the door open.

“God, don’t do that! You scared the hell out of me!” Carlton snapped, looking cross and concerned at the same time. Enough to where I whined, trying to apologize for worrying him.

But I just… couldn’t deal with the noise and being alone. I  _ hated _ it. More than the leash. And I swear I’ll never complain about the leash anymore if you just don’t leave me alone like that again!

Carlton frowned and picked me up, nuzzling into my fur as I licked happily at his face,  _ so _ happy he’s back. “I’m sorry I was gone so long… I never intended to leave you alone like that, I swear and just- I…” he frowned then, and looked around the bathroom. “How… did you manage to lock yourself in here anyway?” he asked and I barked in answer, not sure how to tell him about what Shawn and Gus did, but to my surprise, when he carried me into the room, it was… clean.

Which was weird, but whatever.

And everyone was gone. To my utter relief.

Carlton set me down on the bed, picked up the phone and ordered something for us both to eat- reminding me that I was starving, no thanks to Shawn and Gus- and he finally made ready for bed, kicking off his shoes and throwing his jacket and tie over a chair.

He then grabbed the remote and turned the tv on, frowning when he saw it was on the sports channel and he switched it over to an old war movie, humming to himself before throwing the remote onto one of the pillows on the edge of the bed.

“Come here, boy,” Carlton said, settling back against the headboard and I happily complied, making my way over to where he sat and I flopped heavily beside him, laying my head and my front paws in his lap. And if I was a cat, I’d be purring so loud, it would wake the neighbors.

It was a good thing I wasn’t though.

But in all honesty, I wouldn’t care if I was, because really? I’m just happy my owner came back.

Just like he said he would.

-0-

Carlton let me join the wedding, but it was only because we were getting ready to leave and then he discovered how much his suite bill was. It made him  _ really _ mad when he found out that someone- Shawn- had impersonated him and defiled his room. But I saw, the moment it dawned on him, why exactly I was in the bathroom last night.

Hiding from it all.

But that’s okay.

In the end, Shawn got the thief- and murderer, apparently. Wow, when did all of this happen?

But… Carlton didn’t get to make Shawn pay for what he did to the room- or, in fact, to me… I still resent the fact that he left me alone with a bunch of drunken idiots with music too loud and the room smelling awful. But it would only be a matter of time before I forgive him.

I give it two days before I do.

Maybe.

-0-

When we finally made it home, Carlton decided to do the paperwork the next morning, spending the rest of the night with me, curled up on the couch and watching old tv shows about something I couldn’t care less about.

“Ah, Semper,” Carlton suddenly sat up and I huffed, frowning up at him when he jostled me from my place in his lap. “Sorry boy, but I have something for you.” he smiled and moved me from his lap, setting me on the couch beside him instead. “Stay, while I go get it.”

Curious and intrigued, I watched him get up and then make his way towards the kitchen- where I had seen him hide something when we first got home, but that had been an hour ago and I’d forgotten about it until now. Now he was coming back with a little bag in his hands and I barked at him, tail wagging.

Is it a special treat? Or a new toy? Oh! Is it a-

My thoughts were cut off when he took my makeshift collar off and I made a noise in confusion, tilting my head down to look at the ribbon and then to the side and up to look at him.

When he reached into the bag after setting the makeshift collar to the side, I finally understood what he had and I barked in excitement, my tail wagging when I finally saw the collar.

It was small, but it was made of black leather that smelled really good. And the latch was made of sterling silver and hanging from the latch was an official tag! ‘Semper Fidelis’

I  _ love _ it!

I barked twice and jumped up, before forcing myself to settle down, as he laughed, so he could put the collar on me. Shaking myself as I stood up, I jumped from the couch and bounded towards the bathroom, jumping on the toilet and then to the counter to look at myself in the mirror.

Carlton followed me, a tired smile on his face, and I looked back at him, barking again. “I take it you like it then?” I nodded my head and jumped up to get him to pick me up and when he did, laughing as he did so, I licked his face to show him my appreciation. “Good, because you know what? That collar means something.” he said and I made a small noise in confusion, as he decided to then walk from the bathroom to his bedroom, sitting heavily on the edge of the bed.

What?

“It means you’re officially mine, and I’m not letting you go.” he said and I felt something in my chest unclench at that and I felt a relief I didn’t know I needed to feel, hearing those words. “I promise.”

**Author's Note:**

> A/N 2: To Be Continued...~!
> 
> ~ D.C.


End file.
